jordan caught up before docchi reached the cargo hold. in the lesser gravity of the ship jordan was truly at home.

docchi turned and waited for him. jordan still carried the weapon he had taken from the pilot. it was clipped to the sacklike garment he wore, dangling from his midsection, which, for him was just below his shoulders. down the corridor he flew, swinging from the guide rails lightly, though gravity on the ship was as erratic as on the asteroid.

docchi braced himself. locomotion was not so easy for him.

jordan halted beside him and dangled from one hand. "we have another passenger."

docchi stiffened. "who?"

"i could describe her," said jordan. "but why, when a name will do at least as well?"

"nona!" said docchi. he slumped in sudden relief against the wall. "how did she get in the ship?"

"a good question," said jordan. "remind me to ask her that sometime when she's able to answer. but since i don't know, i'll have to use my imagination. my guess is that, after she jammed the lights and scanners in the rocket dome, she walked to the ship and tapped the passenger lock three times in the right places, or something just as improbable. the lock opened for her whether it was supposed to or not."

"as good a guess as any," agreed docchi.

"we may as well make our assumptions complete. once inside, she felt tired. she found a comfortable cabin and fell asleep in it. she remained asleep throughout our skirmish with the geepees."

"she deserves a rest," said docchi.

"she does. but if she had waited a few minutes to take it, she'd have saved you the trouble of crawling through the tubes."

"she did her part and more," docchi argued. "we depend too much on her. next we'll expect her to escort us personally to the stars." he straightened up. "let's go. anti is waiting for us."

the cargo hold was sizable. it had to be to contain the tank, battered and twisted though it was. equipment had been jarred from storage racks and lay in tangled heaps on the floor.

"anti!" called docchi.

"here."

"are you hurt?"

"never felt a thing," came the cheerful reply.